I had the most interesting day today. I had been nominated for the NJ Women Entrepreneurs and Business Owners section of NJ MONTHLY Magazine and set up a date with the award organizer because I was interested in meeting her and learning about what she does. It was a meeting a year in the making since we both work full time and both have small children at home but after learning that we graduated from the same college I had to meet her. So, we set up a date to meet at Starbucks here in Basking Ridge, NJ and when we sat down with our coffee she said ” I hope you don’t mind that I invited 2 of the other nominees to join us, I thought you might really like one another”. Mind? of course I don’t mind, I was thrilled! I love meeting new people, especially women who are out in the world and making a difference.

Women being women we naturally hit it off and ended up talking non stop for 2 hours. We talked about our businesses, how we got where we are, what are challenges are in getting to the next level and how fulfilling our work is to us.

This was so refreshing for me since I am always the person who is helping others get to their first step in the process and rarely get to network with my peers who are in the same place as I am of having so much going on and not knowing exactly how to take things to the next level. To the “big league” as it’s often referred to. I cannot begin to tell you just how much I got out of this unexpected encounter, it just put me on a new path with a little more fuel in my fire. I was inspired. I was empowered. I had a productive and enjoyable meeting and I made 3 new friends.

When I woke up this morning I didn’t think that I was going to end the day with a pocket full of ideas and I certainly didn’t expect to meet some women who will probably be in my life for a long time, but I did and I am so happy I did. A new direction, a new connection and a few laughs along the way. For all those of you who are building your online network but never meeting them in person I encourage you to make plans with one of them and see where it takes you. Having online contacts is great, but having real interaction face to face with someone is more powerful and more effective. Get up, get dressed, get out. That is the only way you will ever get anywhere.

Until the economy does a drastic turnaround and seasoned employees are able to retire without financial hardships, we will continue to have people working in to their late 60s and 70’s. It is becoming more and more common to see an age difference in the hierarchy and it is something that both the manager and the employee will have to get used to.

In situations like this it is important for both people to remember that they are each qualified for their jobs and that education, skills and experience are all put in to the equation when it comes time for placement in a company.

Each generation brings something different to the table and in the end the common goal is to be productive and successful. If both parties can overcome the age gap then they  can open themselves up to a wonderful working relationship and learn something from one another.

One thing the more seasoned person will have to learn to do is to avoid any urges to act like an authority figure or a parent towards the younger boss. It is a natural reaction when you see someone who is the same age as your own children doing something that you yourself have done and want to try and help them. Remember, this is not your child, it is your boss.  Resist temptations to take on that role, it will only belittle your bosses authority and lead towards resentment.

Communication styles will vary between male and females as well as between the generations and while the baby boomers are more familiar with the phones for communicating, the generation xers and beyond prefer email and text messaging. It is important that everyone in the company, not just the “seasoned employee” but everyone conforms to the communication styles of the environment. If you are unable or unwilling to move with the times and keep up with technology then you will be forcing yourself out of the job. Keep up with the times, go with the flow and be part of the team. In the end, you will be happier and more successful in your job.

One of the most basic skills that a good Admin needs are writing skills and it’s often the one skill that is overlooked on a resume, as a strength in an interview and in real life application. If you think about it, the Admins job is to be the gatekeeper for their boss, to be the point person to the clients and the vendors and to be the glue that keeps the team together. If the Admin doesn’t have good writing skills it could be very embarrassing, costly and detrimental to their own job and the job of their boss.

With the fast paced world we live in and the technology driven workforce we work in it is only natural that people move fast, work fast and write fast. One thing to remember when you are writing fast is that what you write will be read and how you write will be judged.  Using email or text is not an excuse for poor grammar and spelling and because we tend to shoot off quick responses it is very common to have an email filled with errors. You cannot rely on spell check because homonyms will always be overlooked and spell check is not going to catch the spelling of someone’s name or how many zeros are supposed to be in a quote. Making and error on either of those could embarrass you, your  boss, cost you a deal or a job.

You cannot assume that the person reading your email will read it in the tone you mean to write it in.  When it comes to work emails it is best to always stay professional but warm, keep the email informative but to the point and whatever you do, don’t click that send button until you have proofread what you wrote. I have had way too many candidates over the years lose a job opportunity because they sent a hand written thank you note with errors in it. Time and time again I tell people to show it to someone before sending it out but because we live in such a fast paced world they wanted to get it in the mailbox as soon as possible. I promise you that you will be much better off it you take your time to write well, proofread your work and send it out error free than you will be to get a fast response that will be poorly received and make you look lazy.

Branding your self is one thing, but rebranding yourself is another thing entirely. If you have been in marketing for the past 15 years and are looking for a marketing position then you can just brand yourself as a marketing person and it’s pretty simple. If you have been a marketing person for the past 15 years and you are now looking to become a pastry chef then you have to re-brand yourself.

One of the reasons I always encourage people to “do something” while looking for a job is so they can keep their skills active and actually have interesting things to talk about on an interview. Someone who has experience has something to talk about.  By volunteering or interning or even temping you will have some experience to put on your resume and you can have an intelligent conversation with someone about what you did. I understand that volunteering doesn’t pay in dollars but I promise you it will pay in interviewing points.

Before you put yourself out to people to market yourself you need to make sure your packaging is complete and that you have everything you need should someone ask you for something. The worst thing you could do is to walk in to actually get an interview and be unprepared. You need to do a little homework before you put yourself on the market because once you put the word out you will be amazed at how many people will be interested and you need to be prepared at a moments notice to go on an interview. Reach out to your contacts and see if they can help you get “informational interviews” with people in the industry you are targeting. Let them give you tips on the trade so you are armed with as much information as possible before marketing yourself. If you are planning to go in to an area that requires wearing a professional suit every day and you came from a very creative and casual environment then you need to go buy yourself some suits, similarly if you are coming out of banking and you get an interview in an ad agency and you show up wearing a “blue suit special”(navy suit, white blouse and pearls)  you will not fit in. Get as much information as possible so you can make the best first impression.

You only get one chance to make it so you might as well make it a good one. Good luck in your new adventure!

It’s a new year and time for new beginnings and for a lot of people that means a new job. You may have just received your bonus and your review and are thinking about if this job is worth it, if it’s satisfying, if it makes you happy and weighing your options about what your next step will be.

I am here to tell you that from where I sit I understand how hard this decision is. On one hand you are safe in a job and there is a lot to be said about security these days. On the other hand you want to be happy and exploring your options will allow you to see what is within your reach.

My job as recruiter, coach and therapist isn’t to tell you what is right or wrong for you it is merely to show you your options. The rest is up to you. One thing I do know is that as much as you would like to be able to squeeze yourself in to something if it doesn’t fit it doesn’t fit. And sometimes it fits but it’s not the right style or sometimes it’s the right style and the right fit but the wrong size heel.

Change is not easy for everyone but if it’s time to go then go, if it’s a match then stay but just make sure whatever you decide you do it for the right reasons. Make your choices our of strength not weakness. Whatever you do, make you have much success and happiness.

For some of us the New Year is a time for new beginnings, a time to close the chapter on a year and reflect on the events and look forward to what the new year brings. For others the thought that they didn’t accomplish what they wanted to makes them feel that the closing year is a disappointment.  That may have been but it’s over , it’s done, its the past. It’s time to learn and live and if it didn’t work out one way, maybe it’s time to try another.

I am one of those annoying people who has spent the past week cleaning out my office, making my 2012 calendar and putting the years photos in an album. I am annoying, I know. It’s as much a part of my “Overly organized Condition” as well as my quirky charm.

As far as goals are concerned I love to set them and meet them so yes, of course my goals are already written in a time capsule buried in my back yard (ok, not literally but I did write them in a notebook).

Here are the STAR tips for setting your goals for 2012

S: be SPECIFIC when setting your goals. Don’t just say “I want a new job” Say ” I want a job that will be fulfilling and lucrative and close to my house”. The clearer you are on what you want the easier it is to get it.

T: set a TIME on just when you plan to achieve these goals. It is understandable that things get in the way and nothing is set in stone here but it’s important to have an idea of how long it will take you to achieve your goals.

A: make goals that are ACHIEVABLE. Don’t set goals that are so unrealistic that you could never achieve them hence setting yourself up for disappointment. If you are applying for Administrative positions in January then I would say hoping to be the CEO of the company by the end of the year would be a big bite to try and swallow.

R: are you being REALISTIC? Are you setting yourself up for failure before you even start? Think about things that are realistic for you to achieve and you will be more likely to be successful. I am one that says “Reach for the stars! go for it, you can do it!” But I would also never let my kid get on American Idol if they sounded like a farm animal in heat. You have to be realistic about who you are, what you are asking for and if it’s possible to make happen. I never want to burst someone’s bubble but sometimes things are meant to stay dreams.

Some people see the glass has half full, some see it as half empty however we would all agree that there is something inside the glass. This is how some people see their jobs; they see it as something they have to do in order to pay their bills and live and others see it as a gift to be able to do what they love and the bonus is to be able to make money doing it. I get it, the economy is in the toilet and finding a job is hard enough that finding the dream job is just a dream.
I understand, I get it, it sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo but the truth is that it takes the same effort to finding a dream job as it is to finding a job maybe even less.
How? of course you want to know HOW!
Here is how, if you create your resume to represent the job you WANT then you can apply for the jobs you WANT. It takes the same amount of time to send the wrong resume to the wrong job as it does to send the right resume to the right job. Yes, it is as simple as that. Now ask yourself, are you sending your right resume to the right job or are you just sending out “something” to “anything”?

What happened to Spring time? Where did the days of throwing on a light sweater and walking to the park for lunch go? Over the past few years it seems as if we went from Winter to Summer and the one or two days in between that were decent we called Spring but that is about it. It’s a tough psychological adjustment and it doesn’t help that all of our “in between clothes” go to the back of the closet never to be worn.

When it comes to the job search this lack of Spring can be upsetting because so many people put off their search until the snow and slush were gone so they didn’t have to walk in to an interview with boots or a wet umbrella and were hoping to have beautiful sunny days to present themselves well. Here I go again with my favorite expression “we make plans and G-d is laughing”. Instead of boots and umbrellas people are stuck with sweaty hands and frizzy hair.

Bottom line, there is never a “perfect time” to interview so if you have decided you want to find a new job then just go ahead and do it. If it’s snowing, then wear your boots and dry them off before walking in to your interview; if it’s blistering hot out, then put your frizzie hair up in a stylish ponytail and wipe your sweaty hands and if its a perfect day, be happy you don’t have wet boots or frizzie hair.

This months Round Tables were absolutely remarkable! We had an amazing group of women who all came to the table with challenges and all walked away with a goal in hand. Each person was inspirational to the group and offered ideas and suggestions on how the others can go about getting their dream job and making sure it fit their lifestyle.

The reason I only have women is because that is the population I can offer the most to. The reason it is never more than 10 women is because in order for each person to be able to get out of it what they need they need there needs to be enough times for everyone to have their turn and any more than 10 makes it hard for everyone to accomplish their goals. I usually host 2 events a month so I can make sure I get to know each person and can focus my attention on them.

I love this job. It is so rewarding, so empowering and each group manages to form a bond that lasts long outside of the one month event. My favorite part is the “aha” moment when someone discovers what they want to do or when someone realizes that what they thought they wanted to do wasn’t realistic in their life style and they switch gears and focus their energy on something more attainable.

I will be back in the city next month with the BMCC hosting Tables but I am making time in NJ for at least 1 Table and once I have the dates I will post them. Don’t let this dreary weather dampen your enthusiasm to pursue your dream job.

Imagine this: you were once a stylish and sassy woman working in a great job and then you fell in love, got married and moved to the suburbs. After taking time off to raise your kids you realize that you are now looking to do something for yourself and just not sure what to do, what you are qualified to do, where your skills are, where you fit in in the workforce and how to even get started. You turn to your friends who really aren’t helping and you are stuck. You are in the SUBURBAN RUT and want to get out but not even sure where to begin.

The Professional Round Tables are the place to start. This is where you will figure it out, you will brainstorm, you will create weekly goals and you will be held accountable each week by 10 women to fulfill your goals and get further to actually doing something about it. The reason there is an application and an interview to get in to this event is becuase it is important that each person who is coming to the event have strong advisors on their journey to their dream job and each participant needs to be able to “add value” to the others in the group. If someone isn’t comfortable in a group situation this is not going to be the best place for them. Through these events businesses are born, partnerships are created, friendships are made and a little part of you is found.

This is not a “networking event” or a ”ladies social” this is a group of motivated and serious women who are looking to get out of their rut and on to their dream job. I have been doing these for a while now and I am always overwhelmed by the experience of watching people reach that “aha moment” and get inspired. When you are searching for something and having trouble finding it it can be a very frustrating time, top it off with not having anyone around who is there to really help you and it can get depressing and discouraging. So many woman come to me and say they just need someone to help them through it.

I remember when I went on weight watchers for the first time and every time I had the desire to eat something I wasn’t supposed to I would remember that some woman would be weighing me the following week and I wouldn’t cheat. Knowing that I had someone who was on my team that was cheering me on each week made me want to wok harder; I didn’t want to disappoint her. While I didn’t even know this woman and I know she is there cheering me on for me, I still worked harder.

The Professional Round Tables are very similar to that weigh in, knowing you will be held accountable by 10 women each week you are more likely to follow through on your weekly goals towards your future.

Be prepared to work, be prepared for self discovery, be prepared for comraderie and inspiration. Just be prepared because this is the first step in reaching your professional destination. Enjoy the ride.

 We are now booking May events in Basking Ridge, NJ. Applications can be found at www.suburbanrut.com